Hey ladies and gents, welcome back to The Selfish Column. Hope your New Year is as fabulous as you all are. If you have been wondering what I been up to the last few weeks, just follow my crazy antics on my insta page @nancynywala. YES peoples I changed my handle to my real name (guess I’m not a criminal after all).

So let’s get to the topic of the moment, BRUNCH, BRUNCH, BRUNCH aka mimosa heaven. For some people brunch is an elegant gathering, for others, it’s a survival method after a long night of vodka, but for most, it’s the only way to enjoy a weekend. As for me, brunch is simply a reason to get out of my house before I fall asleep again (lol). Truth be told, who doesn’t love a perfectly pouched egg, or an endless variations of avocado toast in their presences. After living in Calgary for four years I became very accustom to some pretty spectacular spots.

Alforno Bakery & Cafe

If you live in Calgary or have plans to visit sometime soon I’m sure you’re wondering which restaurants made the cut. Which restaurants is worthy of your tremendous headache, or just simply which can handle your regretful face of bad habits. Whatever your reasoning may be, we all want to enjoy the company we have and the food we eat.

Check out my top picks below and let me know your thoughts in the comment section.

I was first introduced to Calcutta by their media team when they first opened. From the moment I tasted my first dish my tongue was in heaven. This might be due to the fact that I love a good seasoned meal. Calcutta Cricket is an East Indian Cuisine restaurant, so it is not surprising that they would include traditional East Indian breakfast. Their Tandoori Fried Chicken was the “bomb dot com”, but I believe what really stole the show is their cornbread. The cornbread is so buttery and mouth watering that it melts in your mouth. If you’re looking to start your morning with a little culture this is the perfect place… at least in the brunch realm.

Alforno will always have a place in my heart. As a newbie in Calgary this was probably the first spot I visited for brunch. I was not sure what to expect from their menu because they displayed a very diverse catalog. They offer cafe, breakfast, and lunch all at once. However, I believe this is perfect place for a group that has a different meal perference for each memeber. My favourite dish at the moment is their veggie sandwich and of course their pizzas. If you’re looking for something that is light but satifying I would highly recommend any of the two items. I am a sucker for anything green on my pizza or my sandwich. I will pick that over a steak any day…(Don’t forget to pick up a their iced chia latte, one of my fav in this city).

There is no secret that Royale provides a very unique dinner experience in the heart of the Red Water District. The moment you enter the restaurant you immediately feel like you are in France. The atmosphere is very authentic to some French decor with a little bit of mystery. If you’re into avocado toast and I mean if you’re REALLY INTO AVOCADO TOAST!!!. Than you must get your hands on their Avocado Toast served with Smoked Salmon, it is just incredible. This is the perfect date spot for those that love brunching over date nights.

Monki is such an authentic brunch place —-it is the hub of all hubs. My favourite item on their menu is their classic take on the Egg Benedict. What can I say? I Iove me som fresh hollandaise. They have a great selection of Eggs Benny’s such as their Chorizo Bene, Salmon Bane, Spanish Bane, Brisket Bane and Bacon Bane. The Chorizo Bane is the perfect pick me up after a long night. This is pretty much the “cure”… If you know what I mean.

Monki Bistro

I hope you enjoyed this read as much as I did writing it. As always, feel free to leave your thoughts on the comment section.

.~S.C~

]]>https://theselfishcolumn.com/2019/01/21/my-top-brunch-spots-in-calgary/feed/03599Battle of The Printshttps://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/12/07/battle-of-the-prints/
https://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/12/07/battle-of-the-prints/#respondSat, 08 Dec 2018 05:14:50 +0000http://theselfishcolumn.com/?p=3567Continue reading Battle of The Prints→]]>Hello everyone and welcome back to The Selfish Column. It’s the last month of the year so let’s make it count!. This post is all about the fashion wave that took over social media this Fall/Winter season. By reading the title you can kind of have an idea on what this trend is all about… Prints Baaaabaaay!!!. I’m not going to lie though the snake prints that was all over my timeline has been giving me LIFE. I am seriously obsessed with all the fun ways all these fashionista have been putting their looks together. I took a page from the many fabulous people online and came up with my take on this trend. As per usual I kept it cute, simple and affordable for my everyday women out there. I know those bills are catching up right before New Years ladies.

Enjoy the looks and let me know how you would style your prints. These outfits are probably what I am considering for New Years Eve.

Hi everyone and welcome back to The Selfish Column. I just wanted to start this blog post by stating my gratitude for all of the love and the support all of you have shown me throughout the years. This blog has been such a safe haven for me but keeping up with it has shown to be very difficult (Let’s just say life is a B******). I understand that this is not an excuse for those that dedicate their time to show up and read because I truly appreciate the love. Consistency is what you deserve and consistency is something I will prioritize. In my head, we’re like happy hour friends that are always ready for a good time over $5 cocktails. So, thank you again and much love from me to you.

Alright, now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk. This year was definitely the most adventurous year of my adult life. I started the year by heading to New York for Fashion Week, Cabo San Lucas for my best friend’s Bachelorette, Jamaica for my older sister’s wedding, L.A for some relaxation in the hills of Malibu, and Toronto and Windsor, Ontario for two of my best friends’ weddings. I did all of this while trying to get settled into living alone and getting my place together (but that’s a story for another time).

It has been an incredible year for me that was filled with blessings. I got to see three important women in my life marry the love of their lives; And as they go on to this new journey I want to wish them a lifetime of happiness, love, and growth.

As for yours truly, the woman I was a year ago would have not considered driving hours into the desert and bypass a chance to see the glamour of Los Angeles. Truthfully, I didn’t even believe that I would be happy in the desert. Let’s be real “shit” was hotter than hell, I may be African born and raised, but that heat was nothing like I have ever experienced. Yet the desert possessed a sense of peacefulness and quietness I did not know I needed at the time. That trip was the most magical trip and experience I had so far. I was out of my comfort zone, but I was happy and given the opportunity I would do it a thousand times over.

“I’ma keep running cause a winner don’t quit on themselves”

Let’s just hope there is dietary benefits to sand, cause I ate enough of it that day.

“You’ll find my footprints in the sand”

So, my friends I wanted to share these moments with you so you can have the courage to get out of your comfort soon, even a little like I did. Seek new adventures and new memories or take a big leap and seek out that job you always wanted. Whatever that leap might be for you at this moment take charge and see how life rewards you.

Thank you for stopping by The Selfish Column and getting this far. Until next time selfish readers.

~S.C~

]]>https://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/11/01/la-post/feed/13551Four Shameless Tips You Need While Living Alonehttps://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/10/22/four-shameless-tips-you-need-while-living-alone/
https://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/10/22/four-shameless-tips-you-need-while-living-alone/#commentsMon, 22 Oct 2018 21:59:04 +0000http://theselfishcolumn.com/?p=3536Continue reading Four Shameless Tips You Need While Living Alone→]]>Hello everyone and welcome back to The Selfish Column. Hope all is going great in your lives as always. As you can see the topic for today is for all my single living peeps!!!. Recently I spoke to a few people in my life that are currently living on their own and shared some really fun and interesting ideas on how we manage this new sense of freedom… ish?!! .

So how do I get my motivation back once the laziness hit, how do I stay productive throughout the day you ask?. Well, look no further at the list provided below.

1. Don’t feel guilty if you are not big on grocery shopping:

Three trips a week to the grocery store is better than one giant one that has items you didn’t use go bad. The reason why I stress this is because I used to feel like I needed to go to the grocery store and buy everything possible because in my head that’s what adults do. But I learned very quickly that I was wasting a shit ton of money with that kind of mentality.

2. Don’t feel rushed into getting your home together all at once:

When I first got the place to myself, I had all these expectations of my home. I kept telling myself that my space had to be a certain way at a certain time before anyone can enter. Once I took a step back and let things fall into place, I was able to enjoy the process without rushing or breaking the bank. The space I took between actually purchasing things and bringing them into my place allowed me to come across really amazing sales.

3. Figure out what budget works for you and write everything down:

Things can get lost quickly if you do not pay attention to your spending. I speak this to you as I continue to struggle to find my own balance at times. Budgeting does not mean that once it’s written down that it’s set in stone. As long as you don’t plan to stay stagnant in your current life, your budget can always grow.

4. Give yourself one day a week or even a month that is dedicated to administration:

I learned this from an amazing blogger and friend Justine Celine. This woman is so full of wisdom when it comes to this blog thing. Once I decided to take this challenge on with my emails, I started incorporating it to my everyday life. this included things such as making list for house stuff, making appointments, and returning calls from family and friends. Pretty much anything you feel fit in your life to keep the wheels going can be put on the list.

The one thing I can leave with you is to remember that you can’t put a price tag on your peace of mind. What works for you may not work for someone else.

Thank you for stopping by The Selfish Column, I can’t wait to hear all of your thoughts.

~S.C~

]]>https://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/10/22/four-shameless-tips-you-need-while-living-alone/feed/33536Saks OFF 5TH X The Selfish Column https://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/08/30/saks-off-5th-x-the-selfish-column/
https://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/08/30/saks-off-5th-x-the-selfish-column/#commentsFri, 31 Aug 2018 02:18:35 +0000http://theselfishcolumn.com/?p=3526Continue reading Saks OFF 5TH X The Selfish Column →]]>Hello and welcome back to The Selfish Column, I have some amazing news to share with you all today. Saks OFF 5TH is opening a brand-new store at our Market Mall location. This is the perfect gift for any fashionista that is ready for back to school shopping.

As many of you know Saks Fifth Avenue has been the “IT” spot for fashion for both men and women for years. I’m glad to say that having their OFF 5TH location open in our city can only mean more fashion and more savings for all of us. School and life can become quite expensive, but that doesn’t mean we have to compromise on our style too.

At the opening today, I had the pleasure to scout my favorite departments; this morning was like Christmas Day for me. I was able to put a whole outfit together without having to leave the store (because you can find everything you need there). Comfort is my goal but of course as a woman I love to dress up and be fashionable.

While in the store I was able to get some amazing photos of all the departments for your viewing and of course mine. I can’t wait to hear all of your thoughts on this new location. Let me know what you think of my outfit that I put together while at Saks OFF 5TH today.

Feel free to tag me on Instagram shopping at Saks OFF 5TH and use the hashtag #OFF5THFinds.

Hey everyone and welcome back to The Selfish Column. I would say happy spring but if you live in Calgary you know there is no spring in sight. But luckily I was able to experience some sun during my Cabo vacation.

Last month I and a group of some amazing women went to Cabo San Lucas to celebrate my girl’s bachelorette and let me tell you, things went a bit wild- – – But I have to say it’s a girl’s trip dream come true.

What I’m most proud of when it comes to my outfits are how affordable they were. As you all know, The selfish Column is always here to save you a buck or two and that will NEVER change. I hope you enjoyed my first ever lookbook because I enjoyed creating this and can’t wait to see how all of you respond to it.

Now let’s get to business, THE FASHION. These looks were just a snippet of what I wore on the trip and hopefully, it inspires you on your next vacation.

Believe it or not, I have a bag of Swim Wear pieces that I take to every vacation I hit up. I haven’t changed them or purchased a new suit in about four years. Maybe this year I should start shopping, LOL. To keep it fresh I mix and match my bottoms with different color tops.

Most of my items are from Forever 21 Canada; yes I am an adult and I still shop there, and no I am not ashamed of it. (Plus these pieces are freaking cuteeeeeeee.)

As always thank you for stopping by The Selfish Column… until next time selfish readers.

~S.C~

]]>https://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/04/16/cabo-vacation-lookbook-outfits-ideas/feed/13522Galentine’s Day With La Marca Proseccohttps://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/02/14/galantines-day-with-lamarca-prosecco/
https://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/02/14/galantines-day-with-lamarca-prosecco/#respondWed, 14 Feb 2018 08:21:48 +0000http://theselfishcolumn.com/?p=3494Continue reading Galentine’s Day With La Marca Prosecco→]]>Hey everyone and welcome back to The Selfish Column. Can you believe it is Valentine’s Day? Who doesn’t love “LOVE”!!! Better yet who doesn’t love sharing the love with everyone around them?. This year, I decided not only to celebrate Valentine’s Day but also share Galentine’s Day with my girls. What’s Galentine’s Day you ask? Well, it’s the day before V-Day; where you and your lovely girls treat each other to a day of fun, laughter, and DRINKS!! This year with the help of La Marca Prosecco I and my lovely ladies took the morning by a storm. We woke up to a lovely pancake breakfast and some good old Mimosa (what more can a girl ask for).

The day was spend sipping on some yummy bubbles, and taking in the sugar high from the cupcakes. (Remember sugar, spice, and everything Nice- (bet you can’t complete the phrase).

Who said girls can’t have fun while getting ready. Honestly, this morning was perfect, I haven’t laughed this hard and enjoyed Prosecco like I did. La Marca really came through for the kid. If you know me, you know Prosecco is not usually my go to, but with how tasty, light and smooth it was, it made for such a great start to my morning and afternoon. The great thing about this Prosecco ladies and gents, it can transition greatly throughout any event you have during the day.

Did I mention this bottle is smooooth, I mean like smoother than a fresh perm!!! Hahhhhah. Really though the bubbles are persistent which goes perfectly with the crisp finish it adds to your taste palate.

This is the perfect bottle not only for a day like Galentine’s Day, but any other occasion coming up in your life. The year is still young and there are plenty of events to be celebrated, so why not pick up a bottle of La Marca Prosecco for the occasion.

As always thank you for stopping by and getting this far into the post. A special thanks to the girls that came to spend this Galantine’s Day with me. I am forever at aww with the love and dedication I receive every day from all the amazing women in my life. Today was just the tip of my lifelong celebrations with so many of you.

~S.C~

]]>https://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/02/14/galantines-day-with-lamarca-prosecco/feed/03494Three Steps To Mastering Your Goalshttps://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/01/25/three-steps-to-mastering-your-goals/
https://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/01/25/three-steps-to-mastering-your-goals/#commentsFri, 26 Jan 2018 03:29:46 +0000http://theselfishcolumn.com/?p=3487Continue reading Three Steps To Mastering Your Goals→]]>Hello everyone and welcome back to The Selfish Column; Hope everyone is having a great new year so far. I spend the first few weeks of the year reorganizing my mind, space, and time, as well as planning a few trips for the upcoming months. I would like to keep the momentum going on the last topic (New Year Recharge); please read it if you haven’t yet. The topic for this week is GOALS, and how to break them down. I felt like this was the perfect topic to follow my latest post because it’s about getting things done. Before my current life as a blogger and as an adult student, I used to work as a Child and Youth Worker. While working in this field I developed some pretty cool skills on building short and long-term goals. So you may say that I had a little practice with implementing goals.

Check out my three simple steps below and let’s get the discussion POPPIN in the comments.

Get a Pen and Paper; Write Your Goals Down: I would suggest starting with your long-term goals. By doing so you give yourself a picture of the overall vision.

Break Down Those Long-Term Goals into Three Short-Term Goals. This is the part where you look at what achievable things you can do in your daily life to work on your goals.

Plan, Implement, and Action:

In Planning: Focus on the pros, and what can be done positively but still balances your life.

Implementing: Start to put those pros that you found in the planning stage in your everyday routine.

Action: Is the part where all your hard work and dedication come into play. You begin to normalize everything you began to implement in your everyday routine. Action should feel like second nature to you.

I recently I took a weekend to myself to get my yearly blog schedule together; but you can apply this system in all aspects of your life, whether its spending time with your family or running a business. I wrote down my long-term goals for the blog for the year ahead on my notepad, I then broke these goals into five categories. By doing so, I can now envision how it can be broken down into small task “aka” short-term goals. Below are the categories I listed for reference:

Lifestyle

“Adulting”

Fashion

Skincare/ Makeup

Travel

Once I completed this list, I began to break down how I can accomplish it on daily basis. Since there are five things I wanted to focus on, the best way to go about this is to dedicate each day of the week working on one specific topic. Now let’s not think I got the coins to be traveling each week, but I do take the day to plan my future travels, the budget required, and any necessary deposits update- – – – Once I figured out how to managed everything in the breakdown step, my next step is planning the trips, implementing them and last but not least hopefully travelling the EFFFFFF out of here and getting my life!!!

I hope you enjoyed reading my three simple steps. If you have any questions, suggestions or just a comment please leave your thoughts below. I would love to hear from you all. As always thank you for visiting The Selfish Column and making it this far. With love, always.

~S.C~

]]>https://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/01/25/three-steps-to-mastering-your-goals/feed/53487New Year Recharge With The Selfish Columnhttps://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/01/10/new-year-recharge-with-the-selfish-column/
https://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/01/10/new-year-recharge-with-the-selfish-column/#commentsWed, 10 Jan 2018 22:41:25 +0000http://theselfishcolumn.com/?p=3483Continue reading New Year Recharge With The Selfish Column→]]>Welcome back to The Selfish Column loves. Its a new month new day and new YEAR!!!. It is 2018 Y’ALL 2018. It seems like yesterday that we entered 2017 and were setting our goals for the months ahead of us. I have always said that 2017 was over itself before we ever were. This blog post is all about how to get on the right foot this month so that the rest of your 2018 can be somewhat smooth.

The last month of the year is always the busiest for most people. Christmas holidays and New Years tend to have people on the go that we somehow begin to neglect our own lives. So how does The Selfish Column get back on track? What are some tips that The Selfish Column can share with you? Well look no further scroll down and check out my latest tips.

Declutter Your Mind and Start Planning: A clear mind makes for an organized life. I use my day planner to jot down my work schedule, meetings, deadlines, and dinner (or breakfast) dates with friends. Leaving my head clear and free to be creative.

Declutter Your Space: If there is anything that can make me feel claustrophobic is a messy closet. If my clothes are disorganized I legit feel and look like I have given up on life. When cleaning out my closet abide by the rule of thumb “if you haven’t worn it in a year, there is no reason it should make the new year”.

Expand Your Mind / Further Your Knowledge/Exercise That Brain: The first month of the year should always be considered a fresh start. Commit to building on current skills and learning new ones. I learn best by reading. Picking up a book not only provides a new perspective on a topic you enjoy but enhances your current knowledge. (The book I’m currently reading is by Bob Burg and John David Mann “The Go-Giver” )

Focus on Completing One Task a Day: As adults, it is no surprise that we can get caught up in the hardship of “adulting” each day. I am not perfect after all, we’re just human and LIFE HAPPENS. Getting in the habit of aiming to complete one task a day from beginning to end, will be beneficial in the long run. My advice is to write one goal each night before bed and place it on top of your list when you wake up in the morning.

JUST DO IT: There is no other way to say this. And no it’s not a Nike plug-in, but a get-up and go for IT moment. IT can be anything you want, need, desire or love. The only way to start off on a good note is to let go of all the excuses and doubt you had in the past year and just go for it. With no excuses or fear. That book you wanted to write, Just Do It, That Business plan you wanted to draft, Just Do It, That trip you wanted to go on, work toward it and Just Do It. Make 2018 the year to JUST DO IT.

Hope you enjoy reading this post. As always leave your comments, thoughts, and ideas in the comment section. Looking forwarding to hearing from you all.

~S.C~

]]>https://theselfishcolumn.com/2018/01/10/new-year-recharge-with-the-selfish-column/feed/234835 Tips to Manage Your Student Loan Debthttps://theselfishcolumn.com/2017/10/25/5-tips-to-manage-your-student-loan-debt/
https://theselfishcolumn.com/2017/10/25/5-tips-to-manage-your-student-loan-debt/#respondWed, 25 Oct 2017 21:26:46 +0000http://theselfishcolumn.com/?p=3268Continue reading 5 Tips to Manage Your Student Loan Debt→]]>Welcome back to The Selfish Column everyone, hope all is well in your world of adulting. As you can tell by the title today we are talking about that “wonderful” thing called student loan. And by wonderful I mean that life-sucking nightmare that gives false investment into your future (lol where is the lie though… RIGHT). If you live in North America and have ever set your mind on a post-secondary education, you may have noticed the expensive price tag that comes with this decision. Don’t get me wrong, investing in your future is an incredible thing and so is continuously educating yourself.

A little About My College/University Journey

During my college years, I was living with my parents while working the weekends and summer days to pay for my classes. Living at home helped minimize my expenses while paying for school. After graduating my college program, I went straight to the third year of my university program and took out my first loan. When it came time to pay it off I struggled with it because not only did I move away from home but I went back to school without informing student loan. Honestly, I did not know how to go about paying this. I fell behind and pretended that my loan didn’t exist, but that didn’t last long. Eventually, I took control of the situation and started slow. I decided to take a look at my interest rate and my income tax returns. The best course of action for me at the time was to give my tax return back to the government. It wasn’t easy to give this cash up because tax season is always around my birthday and the reality of no more extra birthday cash was saddening ( no more stunting with my returns hahahahahah). But I had to remind myself constantly that I lived without the income tax return money for a year and managed to survive just fine. After all, being out of debt is far more important in the long run. So without further or do, please see below my basic tips on managing your student loan.

Tips:

1. Check when tuition is due for each semester:

This is good if you pay your own classes. This gives you time to save up and pay slowly toward your classes. I did this while in college, I made a point to treat it like a monthly bill and visited the registrar office each month to pay off a large sum.

2. Save a portion of your grants and or bursaries:

With a student loan, you get things such a grants and scholarships, I know it is money you don’t have to pay back but that doesn’t mean you can’t use a portion of it towards your student loan.

3. Use a portion of your income tax to pay a large amount:

Most students use their income tax return as extra money to go on trips— But if you divide accordingly, you will be able to enjoy more of it in the long run.

4. Always pay on top of your interest rate:

But most importantly always AlWAYS pay on time.

5. Build a relationship with the agent that holds your account:

Call the office and find out who is assigned to your account because having a strong and honest relationship with your agent can work in your favor. Keeping them in the loop of your financial situation can avoid your account being forwarded to collections and receiving those debt collector calls that we all hate.

Thank you for getting to this point and reading the whole post. I hope you found these tips to be helpful in your student career. Some of these tips I learned from personal experience and the rest I found afterward that I thought would be useful. If you enjoy this blog post please leave a comment below sharing your thoughts on it.